FADE IN
INT. KOVALENKO’S APARTMENT – DAY
We see DIMA, a 12-13 year old schoolboy, who rings the doorbell. Obviously, he is back from school – Dima carries school bag and wears uniform. Dima is rather tall for his age. He is thin is a rake, but still very attractive: he has long hazelnut hair and deep grey eyes.
The door opens, and Dima is welcomed by his father ALEXEY, a 36-38 year old man with big, bushy moustache, and TATIANA, a woman on the shady side of thirty with straight brown hair and big blue eyes.
TATIANA
(excited)
Come in now, Dima! Quickly! There is something we want to show you. Just take you shoes off!
Dima drops his bag on the floor, takes his shoes off quickly and goes down the corridor.
DIMA ADULT (V.O.)
As a little kid, I always wanted to get a dog. Maybe a labrador retriever, or an Irish setter, or a Belgian sheepdog. Whatever. Even a poodle would be okay for me. I’ve desperately wanted someone to take care of. Someone who could be no only a buddy, but also a companion, a faithful friend.
Dima is guided by his parents into the small room with drawn curtains. He approaches a cradle and sees a new-born child in it. The baby is sleeping, his mouth is open and the child looks really funny.
TATIANA
(standing behind Dima)
Now meet Pasha. Our new family member.
DIMA ADULT (V.O.)
Perhaps a little brother was not exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t know how exciting it would be to have a new member in our family. Really hard and incredibly stunning at the same time. I didn’t know that taking care of my little brother would make me more responsible and independent.
But there was another thing I didn’t know at the time: that the birth of my little brother would be the beginning of my life’s biggest tragedy.
During the OPENING CREDITS camera catches different attributes of the child’s room: a teddy bear, a hanging toy for the cradle, pictures on the walls. In the darkness of the room these harmless things look sinister and scary.
INT. KOVALENKO’S APARMTENT – EVENING
The baby grew up a little bit. Tatiana is feeding her child, holding a bottler with soother. Dima enters kitchen and goes to the fridge.
TATIANA
If you’re looking for kefir, there is nothing left.
DIMA
No, I wanted to pick some Nova Cola.
TATIANA
Cola? Before going to bed? You’d better follow your little brother’s example and drink some milk.
DIMA
Hah! He drinks it only because he cannot drink nothing else.
TATIANA
Well, if he cannot drink cola, I’m just glad about it.
Dima, despite his mother’s persuasions, takes a bottle of cola from the fridge and drinks it.
TATIANA (CONT’D)
Listen, Dima. Would you please take Pasha to bed instead of me? I’m so tired… This housework is just killing me.
DIMA
(finishes drinking and puts the bottle back in the fridge)
Easy. I always make him sleep in a couple of minutes. But you have to know that my homework is not much easier than your housework.
TATIANA
That’s what you think. Believe me son, if we’ll switch the roles for just one day, school will seem a paradise to you. Every day I have to…
DIMA
Okay-okay I’ve got it!! Haven’t I told you that I will take Pasha to bed?!
TATIANA
Good for you! Now wait a second, he’ll finishes his milk…
Dima stands near his mom and watches as Pasha finishes drinking. Then he carefully takes the baby from Tatiana’s hands.
TATIANA
Oppla! Here we go.
Kisses Pasha first, then she gives a kiss to the elder brother. Dima averts his face, showing how disgusted he is. Tatiana is laughing at her son’s reaction.
TATIANA (CONT’D)
And as soon as Pasha falls asleep, you’d better go to bed too. Because it’s getting harder and harder wake you up in the morning.
DIMA
Big deal! I was never late to school this year.
INT. KOVALENKO’S APARTMENT – EVENING – CONT’D
Dima, holding Pasha in his arms, enters child’s room and puts his brother in the cradle.
DIMA
Well, champ, it’s time to sleep now.
Dima turns off the light (only a nightlight radiates a faint green shine). He rocks the baby to sleep, but Pasha begins to cry and to wave his hands.
DIMA
Ufff! Why are you so nervous? You are really not yourself tonight, you know that? I’d sing a lullaby, but I don’t know any.
After some seconds of hesitation…
DIMA (CONT’D)
Ok, I’ll tell you a story. I know that you won’t understand much, but whatever… So there was a little boy who did not listened to his mom. He was so capricious, so loud. And an evil troll, who lived in the underground kingdom, went to know about the disobedient baby. On a dark rainy night, when nobody could see him, the troll stole into the room, came to the baby’s cradle and told him: «You did not listen to your mother. I will take you in my kingdom, and there you will learn what obedience means». Hahaha, he laughed demonically.
CAMERA is behind Dima’s back. We see a dark shadow, passing swiftly through the room. Dima turns back fast, but sees nothing.
DIMA (CONT’D)
Oh my God… My own story has creeped me out. Sorry Pasha, I have to tell you something less evil. Let’s see… Aha. There was an old king, who had 3 daughters. They were incredibly beautiful, but no prince was good for them. The girls were saying that one of the princes was not too intelligent, another – not too handsome, the third one – not too strong. And so on. One day the old king has decided…
CAMERA behind Dima’s back. We cannot hear what the boy is saying – we can only hear anxious music. But the shadow is not appearing anymore behind Dima’s back.
DIMA (CONT’D)
And then, when one of the princes have decided to marry the youngest daughter… Then… Then Pasha fell asleep.
Dima tiptoes out of the room. He stops on the porch, taking a look back at his brother. Dima hesitates – for some reason he does not wants to leave his brother alone.
Finally Dima decides to go away and turns off the nightlight.
FADE TO BLACK
INT. KOVALENKO’S APARTMENT – LATE NIGHT – CONT’D
Dima wakes up in a cold sweat. His eyes are wide-open, he breathes abruptly. I seems that he had a terrible nightmare. He looks round and, seeing no danger, puts his head back on the pillow. But the sleep won’t come.
The boy gets up, puts his slippers on, and goes into the corridor. He wants to get to the kitchen or toilet. As Dima walks down the corridor, parquet boards are crunching under his steps.
Dima is going past his brother’s room and peers into the darkness. At first he sees nothing, but then he makes a step forward, looks more attentively and… he sees a dark silhouette, which bends above Pasha’s cradle.
Dima screams at the top of his voice, tries to find the switch, but he manages only to turn on the nightlight. He sees a strange, monkey-like dark figure, which runs away and disappears behind the wardrobe.
INT. KOVALENKO’S APARTMENT - DAY
Dima is in his room. His face is incredibly pale, his eyes have become read after a sleepless tormented night. Stooped, he is sitting on his bed. The boy takes a look at his hands and sees them tremble involuntary. He clutches hands between his knees, but it does not help much.
He hears someone talking in the corridor.
DOCTOR
I’m very sorry for your family. It’s a pity that such horrible things happen. And I’m really sorry that it happened to your child. But it’s an accident, you don’t have to blame yourself.
Dima jumps quickly of the bed and runs into the corridor, where his father talks to the doctor. Mother’s cry is heard out of the child’s room.
DIMA
(yells ath the doctor)
An accident?! An accident?! Have not I told you, you asshole, that there was somebody in his room?!
ALEXEY
Dima, how dare you…
DOCTOR
(interrupts Dima’s father and puts hand on his shoulder)
No-no, that’s nothing. You have to understand that the boy is shocked. A brother’s loss is a hard blow to him.
DOCTOR
Don’t talk about me like I am not here! Are you listening to me, you fucking… Fucking idiot!
ALEXEY
Don’t you dare to speak this way! Are you shocked or not, I will knock that nonsense out of your head.
DIMA
Dad, why are you listening to him and not to me? I’m telling you: I saw someone in that room! Pasha was murdered!
DOCTOR
Young man, you have to understand that you might be mistaken. It could have been an optical illusion.
DIMA
There was no illusion! I saw it clearly!
DOCTOR
Please, listen to me. Unfortunately, your brothers death is a rather typical case. It is called SIDS.
DIMA
What?
DOCTOR
A sudden infant death syndrome. Every year this medical mystery causes circa eight thousand deaths of the new-born babies worldwide. Nobody knows why they die, nobody understands the cause. Parents just find babies dead in their cradles.
DIMA
Well, it means these babies were murdered too!
ALEXEY
(angry)
Dima, stop saying bullshit! You are talking to a doctor, don’t forget about it!
DIMA
I don’t care who he is. I’m just telling you what I saw.
Dima goes back into his room, slapping the door behind him.
ALEXEY
What have we done wrong? We’ve really cared after that baby… We’ve tried so hard to shield him from any trouble…
DOCTOR
You don’t have to blame yourself. Nobody knows why the SIDS-victims are dying. According to one theory the death comes due to the respiratory problems. But certainly it’s just a theory.
So, I am telling it one more time: it’s just an accident, you have to try to forget about it.
ALEXEY
(nearly bursts into tears, covers his face with a hand)
But how…
DOCTOR
Work, sport, family, hobbies… You have to focus on something. Just try any ways of distraction. Because when some extraneous reflections would come in your head, believe me, those reflections would be about your child’s death.